1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is in the field of imaging devices and more particularly in the field of ultrasonic imaging.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Ultrasonic imaging is a frequently used method for examining a wide range of materials. The method is especially common in medicine because of its relatively non-invasive nature, low cost, and fast diagnostic cycles. Typically, ultrasound imaging is accomplished by generating and directing ultrasonic sound waves into a material under investigation and then observing reflections generated at the boundaries of dissimilar materials. The reflections are converted to electrical signals by receiving devices (transducers) and then processed, using beam-forming techniques known in the art, to determine the locations of echo sources. The resulting data is displayed using a display device such as a monitor.
Typically, the ultrasonic signal transmitted into the material under investigation is generated by applying continuous or pulsed electronic signals to a transducer. The transmit frequency of medical ultrasound is most commonly in the range of 1 MHz to 15 MHz. The ultrasound propagates through the material under investigation and reflects off of structures such as boundaries between adjacent tissue layers. As it travels, the ultrasonic energy may be scattered, resonated, attenuated, reflected, or otherwise modified. Portions of the reflected signals are returned to the transducers and detected as echoes. The detecting transducers convert the echo signals to electronic signals and furnish them to a beamformer. The beamformer calculates locations of echo sources and typically includes simple filters and signal averagers. Calculated positional information, produced through a serial series of beam-forming operations, is used to generate two-dimensional data that can be presented as an image. In prior art systems, the rate at which images are formed (the frame rate) is limited by at least the pulse return time. The pulse return time is the time between the transmission of ultrasonic sound into the media of interest and the detection of the last reflected signals.
As an ultrasound pulse propagates through a material under investigation, additional harmonic frequency components are generated. These additional harmonic frequency components continue to propagate and, in turn, reflect off of or interact with other structures in the material under investigation. Both fundamental and harmonic signals are detected. The analysis of harmonic signals is generally associated with the visualization of boundaries or image contrast agents designed to re-radiate ultrasound at specific harmonic frequencies.
Several modes of ultrasonic imaging are established in the prior art. These prior art modes include analyzing signals at the fundamental (base-band) or harmonic frequencies for studying static structures in the material under investigation, and detecting movement using spectral Doppler or color Doppler imaging modes. These imaging modes are either sequentially or alternatively executed and the results combined in a single image. For example, in one prior art system a first series of ultrasound pulses is first fired to facilitate tissue harmonic imaging that is utilized to examine a human heart. A second series of ultrasound pulses is fired to generate color Doppler imaging signals at a fundamental frequency. These signals measure the velocity of blood flow through the heart. The first series and second series of ultrasound pulses are alternated in a line-interleaved or frame-interleaved manner. The signals generated by each series are analyzed separately and the resulting two-dimensional data is combined in a single data set for display to the user. In the display, it is common to use color to differentiate and characterize the combined data sets. Since the data are recorded using two different sets of ultrasound pulses, generated at different times, the displayed image may contain undesirable temporal anomalies. For example, such an anomaly could indicate blood flow through a closed heart valve. Also, using multiple series of pulses exposes the material under investigation to additional ultrasound energy. This additional energy may be considered undesirable.